


Sleeping

by SealedAsBefore



Series: Life Lessons [5]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Bonding, Fluff, Gen, Human Cole, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-22
Updated: 2015-01-22
Packaged: 2018-03-08 14:53:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3213215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SealedAsBefore/pseuds/SealedAsBefore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was a hush in the air, a sudden silence among the insects Solas was sharing this space with. Nothing had tripped his wards, but he knew without looking that he was no longer alone. “Cole,” Solas acknowledged, heavy with sleep. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” Cole said, hushed and closer than Solas had thought. “You looked asleep. I couldn’t tell.”</p>
<p>“Do you often watch me sleep?” Solas couldn’t decide if that was odd, or a charming quirk of the spirit, but he wasn’t going to tell Cole to stop. He knew that Compassion meant no harm. </p>
<p>“Yes. The songs get louder when you fall asleep. I like to listen.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleeping

Solas unrolled his bedroll between the two wards he’d set, pushing his pack out of the way with his foot. He’d chosen a cozy space behind one of Skyhold’s many as-yet-unused buildings, a narrow passage between the building and the stone walls making the perfect place for Solas to sleep undisturbed. More often than he slept anywhere inside, Solas would set himself up in one of a dozen hidey-holes for the night, setting a few wards that would wake him if anyone wandered too near. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the predominantly human Inquisition forces, but…alright, perhaps it was exactly that, though Solas’ mistrust didn’t apply to every human he’d met so far.

 

The Inquisitor—Callum—knew that Solas preferred to sleep alone, though on more than one occasion, the two of them had shared both bed and dreams. Solas always delighted in showing Callum his favorite places in the Fade, introducing him to the spirits who dwelled there. It was refreshing to see the Fade through another person’s eyes, the awe and enjoyment Callum carried being reflected in the bright solidity of their surroundings and the strength of the spirits of Hope and Joy that they encountered.

 

If Callum’s own dreams were quite a bit racier than Solas’, the elf was usually far too polite to mention it in the light of day. He’d seen himself featured in them only once, performing rather sordid activities with a grace and flexibility that was at once alarming and a little flattering. The morning after that, Solas had casually reminded the Inquisitor that elves did in fact possess spines, and he hadn’t seen the echo of himself in Callum’s dreams since.

 

Solas eased himself down onto his bedroll and extinguished his mage light, stretching out on his back and searching out constellations in the patch of sky he could see. It wasn’t dangerously cold out, certainly not the worst weather he’d ever slept in, but Solas was glad he’d brought an extra blanket just the same. It wasn’t long before his eyes were closed and he was drifting, the hazy lure of the Fade pulling at his mind.

 

There was a hush in the air, a sudden silence among the insects Solas was sharing this space with. Nothing had tripped his wards, but he knew without looking that he was no longer alone. “Cole,” Solas acknowledged, heavy with sleep.

 

“I’m sorry,” Cole said, hushed and closer than Solas had thought. “You looked asleep. I couldn’t tell.”

 

Solas opened his eyes and found himself staring directly at Cole’s knee where he sat crosslegged on the ground, close enough that Solas could smell the change in his scent, soap and spice replacing the familiar scent of blood and dust. The elf breathed deep, searching, and found the buried scent of stars, change, a world born of ideas and shaped by intent, that Solas recognized as the Fade clinging to Cole. Something in Solas’ chest eased. He knew of the group effort to introduce Cole to his human self, but Solas couldn’t help but worry over what Cole would lose in return for this new knowledge. It was comforting to know that Cole hadn’t lost his link to the Fade. Not yet.

 

“Do you often watch me sleep?” Solas couldn’t decide if that was odd, or a charming quirk of the spirit, but he wasn’t going to tell Cole to stop. He knew that Compassion meant no harm.

 

“Yes. The songs get louder when you fall asleep. I like to listen.”

 

“You hear the Fade when I dream,” Solas said, not really a question. “It must be a comfort.”

 

Cole plucked at the hem of his borrowed tunic. “It helps me remember how to hear and heal the hurt.”

“With all that you’ve learned, I am glad to see that you wish to remain yourself. If my dreams help you maintain your link to the Fade, you are welcome to listen.” Solas rolled his shoulders, as if that could soften the cold ground beneath his bedroll, and reached for sleep once again.

 

It wasn’t long before he had to admit that being watched with the single-minded focus Cole offered was not exactly contributing to a peaceful night’s rest. He could feel the weight of the spirit’s gaze, and it was making his skin itch. “Cole, I don’t mind you being here, but I feel strange being stared at like this.”

 

Cole ducked his head, shoulders hunching as he pressed his back to the stone wall. Before, this may have been enough for him to escape Solas’ notice. “I’m sorry,” Cole said again, low and pained. “I can’t make you forget, or ignore me. Your eyes stick, even when they’re closed. I don’t know what to do.”

 

Solas’ irritation fled with the need to reassure his companion. “No, I apologize. It is easy to forget that you are adjusting to an entirely new set of rules, those which are foreign to you. Your progress has been nothing short of remarkable.”

 

Sleep was slipping further from Solas’ grasp the longer this continued. He couldn’t rest with Cole staring at him, but he didn’t want to drive the spirit away, either. If he turned Cole away now, he risked Cole never being comfortable enough to approach him honestly again, and that purity of purpose was what Solas so valued about Cole.

 

“Come lie down,” Solas offered, remembering how easy it had been to fall asleep with another body pressed to his. “I think this will work. You might even be able to hear the Fade more clearly if we are in contact.” He lifted a corner of the blankets, cold air sweeping in and making him shiver.

 

Cole eased away from the wall like it was the last piece of solid land in an uncertain sea, creeping forward until his knees touched the edge of the bedroll. “I won’t sleep,” he warned. “I don’t want to go back. I only want to hear the song again.”

 

Cole laid down stiffly, half beneath the blankets, and half out of them, tension trembling in his limbs. Solas had to wonder if this was the first time Cole had ever actually been totally horizontal of his own choice. He doubted getting knocked down in battle provided the same feeling.

 

“That can’t be comfortable. Roll onto your side,” Solas directed, doing so himself and rearranging the blankets. He scooted up behind Cole as Callum often did with him, grudgingly admitting to himself that he could appreciate Cole’s clean scent now that he was so close.

 

For a moment, there was steel in Cole’s spine, subtle resistance that brought an apology to sit heavily beneath Solas’ tongue, ready to sweep away the last several moments.

 

Then, Cole sighed, a breath of air Solas would have missed if they hadn’t been pressed together. Cole bumped and nudged backward until Solas curled an arm around his chest, palm pressed to a heartbeat that seemed fainter than it should have been. Perhaps Cole was simply calm.

 

“This is what he does for you,” Cole murmured into the hush of heavy darkness, coolness spreading through Solas’ sleeve where Cole’s hands touched his arm. “Closeness and comfort, warming worries, washing them away to rest. You thought the snoring was irritating, but you miss it.” Cole hugged Solas’ arm to his chest, tension melting out of him between one breath and the next. “I hope I can help.”

Solas was suddenly exhausted, weary to his bones. Solas could feel the strings that Cole was tugging on to coax him to sleep, and Solas knew he could fight it off if he truly wished to. But Solas saw no purpose in that. Sleep was the goal, after all, for both of them. He nosed sleepily at the soft skin behind Cole’s ear and let himself fall.

 

There was a light in the Fade that night, a bright smudge of blue like an ice spell half-formed. It was always out of reach, but constantly in sight, dancing at the edges of Solas’ vision. Solas found himself revisiting some of his favorite places, pointing out what he found most fascinating, explaining his thoughts to his odd companion. It couldn’t respond, but Solas knew it listened anyway. In a quiet moment, close to morning, Solas told the blurry curl of blue light, “You do help. You always do.” The light flared bright and cool, washing over Solas like a breeze off the mountains.

 

When the light faded some time later, Solas knew he would wake alone. He could only hope that Cole had heard what he needed to hear, that the songs the Fade had sung were to the spirit’s liking. Solas wouldn’t refuse, should Cole wish to return some night. He was never lonely in the Fade, but Solas couldn’t deny that having a steady presence nearby had been gratifying.

 

It was unlikely that Cole would have been willing to lie beside Solas, before he’d discovered his humanity. Solas could see now that this new side of Cole hadn’t changed him at the core. It had pushed Cole to become creative, to find new ways to help others, and to be more careful when he did so. Solas was not wrong so often that he was well-used to admitting it, but in this case, he was pleased to have misjudged the situation. Solas considered telling Varric he was sorry in the morning. After he enjoyed the rest of a very pleasant dream.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, hope it was good! Comment down below, let me know what other shenanigans you want to see Cole, or any of the Inner Circle, get into. I'm also taking prompts over at [my tumblr](http://hahahawke.tumblr.com/), so come hang out with me, send me headcanons, talk to me, whatever! If you follow me, be sure to say hello so we can be pals. If I get enough interest, I'll start posting WIPs and my to-do list on Tumblr, so don't be shy! See you again!


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